friends | jorbyn ✓

seventeen

LATER THAT NIGHT, jonah knocked on corbyn's bedroom door.
"if you're here to talk, go away, i don't wanna do that right now."
jonah opened the door.
"i'm not here to talk, corbyn. tate's having another party, a smaller one. it's more of a get together, but i wanted to know if you wanna go with me?"
corbyn let his eyes settle on jonah in the doorway for a while.
"sure."
at tate's, the awkwardness slowly faded between corbyn and jonah as the night progressed. tate made conversation, and her friends were equally nice.
jonah went to the bathroom, and tate found that it was 'time to work her magic.'
"hey, corbyn," she said, sitting down next to corbyn. "i have a question, but i don't want it to seem intrusive, okay?"
"okay," corbyn placed his cup on the table in front of him and faced tate. "shoot."
"do you like jonah?"
corbyn gave out a fit of nervous laughter and stared at tate, awaiting an actual question. when she didn't ask a different question, corbyn's eyes widened.
"wait, you're serious?"
"yeah."
"oh, uh, i wouldn't say that. me and jonah are best friends."
"what does that have to do with anything? i used to like gabbie, and we're still friends."
"well, i don't think i like jonah."
"you don't think?"
"i have a boyfriend."
tate shrugged.
"and? it's not like you're acting on it. anybody can like someone from afar, you know."
corbyn cut his eyes over to tate.
"i'm like ninety percent sure i don't like daniel–ugh– you know what i mean."
"oh? daniel? that's your boyfriend?"
"yeah. it's been almost two months."
"oh, sweet! and again, i'm not trying to be intrusive. but, why did you start dating daniel?"
"because i like him, why else do you date someone?"
"to get over someone else, maybe?"
"tate," he laughed, purely faux and nervous. "who would i be getting over? aspen? no. i didn't like aspen, that was a spiteful thing."
tate shrugged.
"i dunno. could be anybody."
corbyn stared at tate for a while before cocking his head to the side.
"tate, how come you're asking all of this?"
"no particular reason, honestly. i just– it seemed like you guys had something, you know, going on." she nudged him with her cup.
corbyn laughed lightly, sure that his cheeks were flaming red.
"no, nothing going on."
"okay, well, can i give you one piece of advice before i bore the shit out of you?"
"go ahead."
"if you don't exactly like someone, you shouldn't be in a relationship with them. it's basically leading them on."
"what're you trying to say?"
"that you shouldn't lead someone on. not saying you are but that's a piece of advice i give a lot of people. see you later?"
"uh, yeah, see you."
tatum's words repeated themselves in corbyn's head when she left, and they did until jonah came back.
"what's wrong?"
"what? nothing. why would something be wrong?" corbyn grabbed his cup from the table in front of him and finished it off.
"you're staring off like you're in a music video," jonah laughed, taking his seat next to corbyn.
"no, i was just thinking."
"well don't think too long, lilly wants to play never have i ever."
the rest of the trip played out the same, parties at houses they weren't familiar with, drunken encounters and conversations when they were alone.
it was the best trip jonah could possibly think of. for corbyn, it was only indication of what he needed to fix.

—

🥴🤚🏼 do not name your kid fucking clive. please.